Cop Who Killed Philando Castile Heads To Trial

All Jurors Seated In Officer Yanez Trial
Opening statements expected Monday in Minnesota cop's trial
Author

03 June, 2017

Jury selection begins Tuesday in what's believed to be the first time a Minnesota police officer has been indicted for shooting a civilian while on duty.

Jury selection for the the Minnesota police officer who shot Philando Castile will start on Tuesday.

Philando Castile's permit to legally carry a gun became a point of focus in the days after he was shot and killed by a Minnesota police officer, with some questioning whether Castile acted properly during the July traffic stop and others wondering whether the officer followed his training.

Another video could also emerge as key evidence in the case against the St. Anthony officer.

The state maintains that the presence of THC in his system does not prove when Castile last used marijuana and that Yanez's decision to shoot was reckless regardless. The aftermath was streamed live on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, who says in the video that Castile had a permit to carry.

The judge is considering the motion to possibly instruct the jury not to consider whether Castile had a permit. The story made headlines as video of the shooting captured by Reynolds, in which Castile's death is witnessed by the child, went viral and sparked national outrage and protests.

Individual questioning of potential jurors will begin Wednesday.

Jurors were excused before noon Tuesday so that they could fill out a written questionnaire provided by the court about their backgrounds and familiarity with Yanez's case.

There were 50 prospective jurors on Tuesday and a handful of them were of people of color, including Asian, black and Latino individuals.

"The whole trial is going to be about the officer's state of mind", Friedberg said, adding that the gun permit had "absolutely no impact" on Yanez's mental state before or during the shooting. St. Anthony Officer Jeronimo Yanez is charged with second-degree manslaughter. Paul area and surrounded the governor's mansion.

Phil Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in OH, says police officers shoot and kill people about 900 to 1,000 times per year.

Seventy-four seconds after Yanez activated his squad lights, he fired the last of seven shots into the vehicle, fatally injuring the 32-year-old driver, Philando Castile.

Yanez said he had reason to pull over the vehicle because Castile looked like a suspect in a convenience store robbery that took place in the area four days earlier, court documents said. Castile had a permit to carry the weapon.

The second motion the defense has filed is that they have learned from a state interview with Diamond Reynolds, Castile's girlfriend, that marijuana was purchased 2-3 hours before the shooting.

Prosecutors say Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, after Castile told him he was armed.

Testimony is expected to begin next week.

Drive around this mostly white Minnesota suburb that sits between Minneapolis and St. Paul and you'll see signs in some front yards saying: "Falcon Heights - the nation is watching". His death was recorded via Facebook Live by his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, who was in the auto with him. Reynolds tells Yanez as she's recording that Castile was reaching for his ID as the officer requested, not his gun.

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